Most agricultural companies involved in non-farming businesses
Many benefited from tax waivers

Officials say a majority of the agricultural companies set up on the island are conducting non-farming businesses.

The provincial government collected data on 321 companies that were approved to conduct agricultural services between 2012 and June 2015. Seventy-four percent of them, or 237 companies, were in fact conducting non-agricultural businesses, including accommodations and real estate. Additionally, 320 cases of tax exemptions were misused by 100 companies which were found to have received tax waivers for buying property for agricultural use. In reality, officials say, they used the facilities for other purposes or sold them at a profit.

The province said it plans to collect the 2.7 billion won in unpaid taxes and penalize agricultural companies that were involved in non-farming businesses. For the most serious violators, it may revoke their business licenses altogether.

도내 농업법인 상당수 목적외 사업 병행

제주도내 농업법인 가운데 상당수가 농업 경영과 농산물 가공 이라는 본래 목적 외에
다른 사업을 병행한 것으로 나타났습니다.

제주도가 지난 2012년부터 올해 6월까지 행정으로부터 인허가 받은 농업법인 321개소를 조사한 결과, 74%인 237개소가 법인등기부에 숙박업과 부동산매매업 등 목적 외 사업을 등록했던 것으로 나타났습니다.

또, 영농목적으로 부동산을 취득해 지방세를 감면 받은 뒤 다른 용도로 사용하거나 매각한 사례도 올해만 100개 농업법인에 320건이 적발됐습니다.

제주도는 이 농업법인에 대해 감면된 지방세 27억 원을 추징하는 한편, 목적외 사업을 병행한 법인에 대해서는 최대 해산명령까지 청구할 계획입니다.